1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drawing apparatus and a method for controlling drawing by the drawing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, nail printing apparatuses for printing desired nail designs on nails of human fingers are known. An example of such a nail printing apparatus is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2003-534083.
Nail printing can be enjoyed readily without the need to visit a nail salon or the like by such an apparatus.
Using a plotter drawing apparatus provided with a drawing tool (pen) for drawing has been considered in which a pen tip is brought into direct contact with a surface of a drawing subject.
In cases where a plotter drawing apparatus is used as the nail printing apparatus, various types of ink that have been problematic when used in ink jet apparatuses can be used. For example, high-viscosity inks, inks having pigments (colorings) of large particle size, glitter, and the like can be used.
As such, in cases where a plotter drawing apparatus is used as the nail printing apparatus, base coats (white under coat), receptive layers, top coats, and the like can be applied using the nail printing apparatus instead of via manual labor by a user; and nail printing can be realized with a finish more closely resembling the nail art performed at a nail salon or the like.
However, in cases where a plotter drawing apparatus is used as the nail printing apparatus, a drawing position of a pen on the nails must be controlled as accurately as possible in order to precisely draw delicate designs.
Additionally, a high degree of accuracy is needed for the mounting mechanism of the pen, the shape of the pen, and the like in order to accurately control the drawing position of the pen by using mechanical techniques. As such, there is a possibility that the costs of nail printing apparatuses and pens will be high.
Furthermore, it is not possible to completely eliminate problems such as manufacturing variations in the shape of the pen or the decline in the position accuracy of the pens due to aging of the moving mechanism of the pen in the nail printing apparatus. Due to these various causes, even if the pen or moving mechanism of the pen used are highly accurate, the drawing position on the nail by each pen may deviate from the intended drawing position set by the nail printing apparatus, where there is no decline in the position accuracy of the pen, variation in the shape of the pen, or the like. Consequently, there have been cases where drawing of high accuracy has not been achievable. For example, in cases where a line in a design changes color at a location along the line, there have been cases where the connections of the line at that location have deviated slightly, resulting in the distortion of the design and the like.
Additionally, in cases where the ink used is a white ink or a colorless ink, that is, for example, where a white ink is used for an under coat (foundation) and a colorless ink is used for a top coat or the like and the color of a paper is white, there is hardly any difference between the figure drawn on the paper using these inks and the color of the paper. Consequently, it is difficult to accurately detect the position of the figure drawn on the paper using these inks and it is difficult to accurately detect deviations in the drawing positions of pens using these inks.
As such, there are cases where drawing is carried out while unaware of the fact that deviations have occurred in the drawing position of the pen, which has led to cases where the drawing has overrun onto portions other than the nails, for example, the skin or the like.